I had my pre placement visit of Tuesday and I feel like it went very well. I’m with a primary 5 class that is shared between two CT’S. My first impressions of the school were that it was really nice and almost new. I met the head teacher who was very friendly and gave me a tour of the school when I went in. Although the class is shared between two teachers I got the chance to meet both teachers and they were lovely.
The classroom was laid out nicely although I did feel a little cramped because there are 31 pupils. I could see lots of displays on the walls which gave a me a good idea about what they were working on. I could also see that they have a card system of the wall for behaviour and the CT changed it as the behaviour changed between green for good behaviour, blue next, yellow for a warning and finally red. The class doesn’t do golden time but they have other rewards systems in place. The pupils gets points for good behaviour and the number of pointed they have relate to a prize. Once the whole class gets a certain amount of points they get a movie and popcorn treat. What shocked me most about the class and how it was laid out is that there wasn’t any doors, none of the classrooms have doors. It’s all just spaces in the wall the size of about 4 doors. I think this will mean that when I’m teaching I need to make sure I’m heard without shouting but also not too loud that it affects other classes.
I went swimming with the class which I found useful because it allowed me to see them outside the classroom but they were still exceptionally well behaved. The pupils also had the music specialist in and they learned the ukulele and I could tell they all really enjoyed that. The CT done a lot of interactive lessons with them which I liked because it kept the pupils engaged.
The CT got me to take a reading group and a maths group which is a good sign I think because she obviously thought I was somewhat competent, she didn’t just get me to sit in the corner and stay quiet. While she was teaching and the pupils were doing activities I was helping out whenever I could, answering questions and encouraging the pupils. I think its important to just get stuck in otherwise I’ll just end up being a burden on the CT.
I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be and during break and lunch I went Ito the staffroom with the CT and everyone was so welcoming and friendly. They all made me feel so at ease and I can really see myself fitting in well. The CT said to me that their wasn’t any drama between teachers or in the school which is a relief but I don’t know ho true that actually is.
Overall I’m really happy with the class. the school and both CT’s. I’m excited to get back to the class and start teaching them although I’m a little nervous but I don’t think that a ad thing.
